Foodie. Feminist. Wanderluster.

How to Tackle Your TBR

Within the bookish world you will find two types of readers. Smug Kindle users with their device full of books that take up no physical room and book hoarders who have so many books in their “to be read” pile that they could make a coffee table out of them… or ten! (Trust me, I’ve tried.) I am, of course, the latter reader. For the last few years I’ve had a tendency to keep buying books, never giving myself a chance to catch up. There are books stacked in my room, organised on my bookshelves, in boxes in the loft and scattered around my boyfriend’s house- oops! So how can we impulse book buyers (the most geeky type of “impulse buying” that could ever exist) tackle our TBR pile piles?

Prioritise fast approaching film/series adaptations

There is no worse feeling than missing the chance to read the book before you see the film in the cinema or watch the series when it first airs. Well, for book nerds like me there’s no worse feeling. With the film Love, Simon coming out in the UK soon, I’ve popped Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda to the top of my TBR. There is no way I’m missing one of the films of the year because I’ve been too terrified to confront the most terrifying antagonist any author has every written… The TBR.

Organise into a “How Excited are You to Read this Book?” spectrum

After prioritising fast approaching book-to-film/series adaptations, get ALL of your books and rank them onto a “How Excited are You to Read this Book?” spectrum. First read the books that you are most excited to read; store the others away. They only serve as a tripping hazard. (Again, trust me; I’ve been there.)

Give (*gasps*) some away/lend some to friends and family

Give away the books that…

You can’t see yourself EVER reading. Give them to charity stores or sell them online.

You’ve had for so long you forgot they even existed.

You’ve got more than one copy of; keep the one, of course.

Lend books that…

Are super low on your “How Excited are You to Read this Book?” spectrum. This will save using up storage room.

Are part of a series you never really liked anyway.

A friend will benefit more from than you right now.

You’ve started and given up on, one or more times.

Being a lover of all things organisation, I am following my own advice and well and truly tackling my TBR pile. Being the geek I am, I am far too excited about this.